Finding belonging
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Reading Habib's memoir really made me think deeply about how we all search for spaces where we can truly be ourselves. What struck me most was her experience at Unity Mosque - that powerful moment when she sees a trans woman giving the call to prayer. It's amazing how a single moment like that can show someone they belong, when they've spent so long feeling like an outsider. I find it inspiring how Habib turns her own struggles into something meaningful through her photography project. Instead of just accepting that queer Muslims weren't represented in media, she decided to create that representation herself. This shows how personal healing can become a way to help others too. Her relationships, especially with Alex and later with Shireen, reveal how we often need others to help us discover and accept ourselves.
The part about her traditional mosque experiences compared to Unity Mosque especially resonates because it shows how the same faith can be practiced so differently. It's not about rejecting religion entirely, but finding a way to practice it that honors your whole self. I appreciate how she captures the complexity of holding multiple identities without feeling the need to oversimplify or choose between them.The line that really stays with me is "We have always been here, it's just that the world wasn't ready for us yet". It makes me think about how many other stories and experiences might be hidden simply because society isn't ready to hear them.